60 second interview with Community Award winner Andrew Dodd

Posted in: Wellbeing Last updated: 31 Jan 2014

Customer Andrew Dodd applied for our “Engage with your community” awards and has successfully won up to £5,000 for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Harrogate Supporter Group. Set up three years ago, the aim of the group is to help conserve and maintain five nature reserves in the Harrogate area.

We asked Andrew some questions about the group and how the funding will help.

1. Why did you apply for the “engage with your community” awards?

I applied to the initiative in order to purchase some new equipment and improve the effectiveness of the group.

2. How would you sum up the project?

We are volunteer supporters of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, working to help improve and maintain five nature reserves in the Harrogate area. Volunteers carry out work such as hedge laying, building rafts for nesting birds and controlling invasive species.

3. What will the money be spent on?

The money will be spent on buying machinery such as a motorised hedge cutter and brush cutter, plus the relevant training to be able to operate them safely. These tools will enable us to be far more productive, and cover a much larger area than possible when using manual equipment.

4. What’s your involvement in the cause?

I have been a volunteer with the group since its inception three years ago and trained to become a group leader about 18 months ago.

6. How long have you been involved with the cause?

I’ve been involved since reading about Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in the local press and attending a volunteers’ meeting three years ago.

7. Any highlights from working with the cause?

It has been a very rewarding experience to learn new skills combined with a sense of doing rewarding work with new friends. My wildlife highlight has been seeing Waxwings and winter migrants from Siberia, at the Staveley reserve.

8. What’s the best piece of advice you could give someone who’s applying for community funding?

Go for it! This was a simple and straightforward process and a successful outcome will be a massive boost for your voluntary organisation.

9. Are you looking for any volunteers? If so, how could they help you?

We are always keen to welcome new volunteers to help with the work. It isn’t always that child-friendly but otherwise we have jobs for most ages, abilities and interests from hedge cutting to counting wildlife. The more volunteers we get the more work can be done meaning that more people can benefit.

If you are interested in volunteering with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Harrogate Supporter Group, in the first instance please contact:

Note: Whilst we take care to ensure Hub content is accurate at the time of publication, individual circumstances can differ so please don’t rely on it when making financial decisions. OneFamily do not provide advice so it may be worth speaking to an independent financial advisor about your own circumstances.

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